Author: Dominic Pettman
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
ISBN: 1452953805
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 244
Book Description
To our modern ears the word “creature” has wild, musky, even monstrous, connotations. And yet the terms “creaturely” and “love,” taken together, have traditionally been associated with theological debates around the enigmatic affection between God and His key creation, Man. In Creaturely Love, Dominic Pettman explores the ways in which desire makes us both more, and less, human. In an eminently approachable work of wide cultural reach and meticulous scholarship, Pettman undertakes an unprecedented examination of how animals shape the understanding and expression of love between people. Focusing on key figures in modern philosophy, art, and literature (Nietzsche, Salomé, Rilke, Balthus, Musil, Proust), premodern texts and fairy tales (Fourier, Fournival, Ovid), and contemporary films and online phenomena (Wendy and Lucy, Her, memes), Pettman demonstrates that from pet names to spirit animals, and allegories to analogies, animals have constantly appeared in our writings and thoughts about passionate desire. By following certain charismatic animals during their passage through the love letters of philosophers, the romances of novelists, the conceits of fables, the epiphanies of poets, the paradoxes of contemporary films, and the digital menageries of the Internet, Creaturely Love ultimately argues that in our utilization of the animal in our amorous expression, we are acknowledging that what we adore in our beloveds is not (only) their humanity, but their creatureliness.
Creaturely Love
Author: Dominic Pettman
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
ISBN: 1452953805
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 244
Book Description
To our modern ears the word “creature” has wild, musky, even monstrous, connotations. And yet the terms “creaturely” and “love,” taken together, have traditionally been associated with theological debates around the enigmatic affection between God and His key creation, Man. In Creaturely Love, Dominic Pettman explores the ways in which desire makes us both more, and less, human. In an eminently approachable work of wide cultural reach and meticulous scholarship, Pettman undertakes an unprecedented examination of how animals shape the understanding and expression of love between people. Focusing on key figures in modern philosophy, art, and literature (Nietzsche, Salomé, Rilke, Balthus, Musil, Proust), premodern texts and fairy tales (Fourier, Fournival, Ovid), and contemporary films and online phenomena (Wendy and Lucy, Her, memes), Pettman demonstrates that from pet names to spirit animals, and allegories to analogies, animals have constantly appeared in our writings and thoughts about passionate desire. By following certain charismatic animals during their passage through the love letters of philosophers, the romances of novelists, the conceits of fables, the epiphanies of poets, the paradoxes of contemporary films, and the digital menageries of the Internet, Creaturely Love ultimately argues that in our utilization of the animal in our amorous expression, we are acknowledging that what we adore in our beloveds is not (only) their humanity, but their creatureliness.
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
ISBN: 1452953805
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 244
Book Description
To our modern ears the word “creature” has wild, musky, even monstrous, connotations. And yet the terms “creaturely” and “love,” taken together, have traditionally been associated with theological debates around the enigmatic affection between God and His key creation, Man. In Creaturely Love, Dominic Pettman explores the ways in which desire makes us both more, and less, human. In an eminently approachable work of wide cultural reach and meticulous scholarship, Pettman undertakes an unprecedented examination of how animals shape the understanding and expression of love between people. Focusing on key figures in modern philosophy, art, and literature (Nietzsche, Salomé, Rilke, Balthus, Musil, Proust), premodern texts and fairy tales (Fourier, Fournival, Ovid), and contemporary films and online phenomena (Wendy and Lucy, Her, memes), Pettman demonstrates that from pet names to spirit animals, and allegories to analogies, animals have constantly appeared in our writings and thoughts about passionate desire. By following certain charismatic animals during their passage through the love letters of philosophers, the romances of novelists, the conceits of fables, the epiphanies of poets, the paradoxes of contemporary films, and the digital menageries of the Internet, Creaturely Love ultimately argues that in our utilization of the animal in our amorous expression, we are acknowledging that what we adore in our beloveds is not (only) their humanity, but their creatureliness.
Metagestures
Author: Dominic Pettman
Publisher: punctum books
ISBN: 1950192253
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 233
Book Description
What kinds of knowledge and understandings of the world can be generated - and shared - when we use para-academic techniques and sensibilities to decode or respond to relatively orthodox intellectual objects? And what worlds might be possible if we practiced scholarly work from a place of collaboration and pleasure, as joyful fellow explorers? In METAGESTURES, historian Carla Nappi and cultural theorist Dominic Pettman explore the use of fiction as a tool to write and think with works of theory. Taking Vilém Flusser's GESTURES as its point of inspiration and departure, METAGESTURES collects 16 pairs of short stories in which Pettman and Nappi make fictional worlds that animate and enliven each of the major gestures in Flusser's book. Nappi and Pettman focus on Flusser's mediations on the gestures of filming, planting, loving, smoking a pipe, turning a mask around, and much more, with their own creative explorations of each theme, in a gathering of short fictions that test, expand, and further the social scientific claims of the original text with new scenarios and occasions. Here, Flusser's reflections on physical gesture serve as an inspiration for new ways of conceiving and conducting theory, and for thoughtful creative scholarly imagining, with and alongside one another. Carla Nappi is a historical pataphysicist and Mellon Chair in History at the University of Pittsburgh. She has published widely in the history of bodies, medicine, and translation in early modern China, and you can explore her recent shenanigans at carlanappi.com. Dominic Pettman is Professor of Culture & Media at the New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College, and the author of numerous books on technology, humans, and other animals; including the recent Creaturely Love (Minnesota University Press) and Sonic Intimacy (Stanford University Press).
Publisher: punctum books
ISBN: 1950192253
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 233
Book Description
What kinds of knowledge and understandings of the world can be generated - and shared - when we use para-academic techniques and sensibilities to decode or respond to relatively orthodox intellectual objects? And what worlds might be possible if we practiced scholarly work from a place of collaboration and pleasure, as joyful fellow explorers? In METAGESTURES, historian Carla Nappi and cultural theorist Dominic Pettman explore the use of fiction as a tool to write and think with works of theory. Taking Vilém Flusser's GESTURES as its point of inspiration and departure, METAGESTURES collects 16 pairs of short stories in which Pettman and Nappi make fictional worlds that animate and enliven each of the major gestures in Flusser's book. Nappi and Pettman focus on Flusser's mediations on the gestures of filming, planting, loving, smoking a pipe, turning a mask around, and much more, with their own creative explorations of each theme, in a gathering of short fictions that test, expand, and further the social scientific claims of the original text with new scenarios and occasions. Here, Flusser's reflections on physical gesture serve as an inspiration for new ways of conceiving and conducting theory, and for thoughtful creative scholarly imagining, with and alongside one another. Carla Nappi is a historical pataphysicist and Mellon Chair in History at the University of Pittsburgh. She has published widely in the history of bodies, medicine, and translation in early modern China, and you can explore her recent shenanigans at carlanappi.com. Dominic Pettman is Professor of Culture & Media at the New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College, and the author of numerous books on technology, humans, and other animals; including the recent Creaturely Love (Minnesota University Press) and Sonic Intimacy (Stanford University Press).
Defining Love
Author: Thomas Jay Oord
Publisher: Brazos Press
ISBN: 1587432579
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
Engages cutting-edge scientific research on love and altruism to offer a definition of love that is scientifically, theologically, and philosophically adequate.
Publisher: Brazos Press
ISBN: 1587432579
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240
Book Description
Engages cutting-edge scientific research on love and altruism to offer a definition of love that is scientifically, theologically, and philosophically adequate.
Creaturely Love
Author: Dominic Pettman
Publisher: Posthumanities
ISBN: 9781517901219
Category : Desire
Languages : en
Pages : 164
Book Description
In an eminently approachable work of wide cultural reach and meticulous scholarship, Dominic Pettman undertakes an unprecedented examination of how animals shape the understanding and expression of love between people. He argues that in our utilization of the animal in our amorous expression, we acknowledge that what we adore in our beloveds is not (only) their humanity, but their creatureliness.
Publisher: Posthumanities
ISBN: 9781517901219
Category : Desire
Languages : en
Pages : 164
Book Description
In an eminently approachable work of wide cultural reach and meticulous scholarship, Dominic Pettman undertakes an unprecedented examination of how animals shape the understanding and expression of love between people. He argues that in our utilization of the animal in our amorous expression, we acknowledge that what we adore in our beloveds is not (only) their humanity, but their creatureliness.
Loving Creation
Author: Gary Chartier
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1506481051
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 268
Book Description
Is it true that all we need is love? Does love capture the essence of Christian ethics? Does a love-centered ethic need to be impartial in a way that leaves no room at ground-level for relationships and projects? What is the place of well-being in an ethic of love? Loving Creation: The Task of Moral Life seeks to answer these questions by showing how a love-ethic and an ethic of creation are not at odds but rather reinforce each other. Gary Chartier articulates a love-centered creation ethic--or a creation-centered love-ethic--and applies it to such issues as sex, economic life, love for enemies, and political order. In the book, Chartier offers a powerful alternative both to natural-law theories that seem to lose sight of the welfare of actual people and to the accounts of Christian love that embrace an alienating impartiality. He develops an understanding of Christian love as focused on creation that can contribute effectively to enriching both social practices and personal lives. Loving Creation is unabashedly theological. But the theological considerations it adduces are ones that will allow Christians to engage in the public sphere with adherents of other religious traditions and of none. It is a contribution not only to theological understanding but also to personal moral reflection, to church practice, and to Christian participation in public life.
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1506481051
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 268
Book Description
Is it true that all we need is love? Does love capture the essence of Christian ethics? Does a love-centered ethic need to be impartial in a way that leaves no room at ground-level for relationships and projects? What is the place of well-being in an ethic of love? Loving Creation: The Task of Moral Life seeks to answer these questions by showing how a love-ethic and an ethic of creation are not at odds but rather reinforce each other. Gary Chartier articulates a love-centered creation ethic--or a creation-centered love-ethic--and applies it to such issues as sex, economic life, love for enemies, and political order. In the book, Chartier offers a powerful alternative both to natural-law theories that seem to lose sight of the welfare of actual people and to the accounts of Christian love that embrace an alienating impartiality. He develops an understanding of Christian love as focused on creation that can contribute effectively to enriching both social practices and personal lives. Loving Creation is unabashedly theological. But the theological considerations it adduces are ones that will allow Christians to engage in the public sphere with adherents of other religious traditions and of none. It is a contribution not only to theological understanding but also to personal moral reflection, to church practice, and to Christian participation in public life.
The Science and Theology of Godly Love
Author: Matthew T. Lee
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1609090578
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 234
Book Description
Arguing that there are ways to move beyond the limitations of methodological atheism without compromising scientific objectivity, the essays gathered in The Science and Theology of Godly Love explore the potential for collaboration between social science and theology. They do so within the context of the interdisciplinary study of Godly Love, which examines the perceived experience of loving God, being loved by God, and thereby being motivated to engage in selfless service to others. This volume serves as an introduction to and a call for further research in this new field of study, offering ten methodological perspectives on the study of Godly Love written by leading social scientists and theologians. Drawing on the work of Douglas Porpora and others, the contributors contend that agnosticism is the appropriate methodological stance when religious experience is under the microscope. Godly Love does not force a theistic explanation on data, instead these essays show that it sensitizes researchers so that they can take seriously the faith and beliefs of those they study without the assumption that these theologies represent an incontestable truth.
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 1609090578
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 234
Book Description
Arguing that there are ways to move beyond the limitations of methodological atheism without compromising scientific objectivity, the essays gathered in The Science and Theology of Godly Love explore the potential for collaboration between social science and theology. They do so within the context of the interdisciplinary study of Godly Love, which examines the perceived experience of loving God, being loved by God, and thereby being motivated to engage in selfless service to others. This volume serves as an introduction to and a call for further research in this new field of study, offering ten methodological perspectives on the study of Godly Love written by leading social scientists and theologians. Drawing on the work of Douglas Porpora and others, the contributors contend that agnosticism is the appropriate methodological stance when religious experience is under the microscope. Godly Love does not force a theistic explanation on data, instead these essays show that it sensitizes researchers so that they can take seriously the faith and beliefs of those they study without the assumption that these theologies represent an incontestable truth.
Creaturely Forms in Contemporary Literature
Author: Dominic O'Key
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350189642
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 298
Book Description
We are living through a period of planetary crisis, a time in which the mass production and consumption of some animals is made possible by the mass extinction of many others. What is the role of literature in responding to this war against animals? How might literary criticism read for animals? In Creaturely Forms in Contemporary Literature, Dominic O'Key develops the bold argument that deep attention to literary form enables us to rethink human-animal relations. Through chapters on W. G. Sebald, J. M. Coetzee and Mahasweta Devi, as well as close readings of works by Arundhati Roy and Richard Powers, O'Key reveals how literary forms can unsettle the fictions of human supremacy and craft alternative, creaturely forms of relation. An intervention into both the humanism of literary theory and the representational focus of animal studies, this provocative work makes the case for a new formalism in light of our obligation to fellow creatures.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350189642
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 298
Book Description
We are living through a period of planetary crisis, a time in which the mass production and consumption of some animals is made possible by the mass extinction of many others. What is the role of literature in responding to this war against animals? How might literary criticism read for animals? In Creaturely Forms in Contemporary Literature, Dominic O'Key develops the bold argument that deep attention to literary form enables us to rethink human-animal relations. Through chapters on W. G. Sebald, J. M. Coetzee and Mahasweta Devi, as well as close readings of works by Arundhati Roy and Richard Powers, O'Key reveals how literary forms can unsettle the fictions of human supremacy and craft alternative, creaturely forms of relation. An intervention into both the humanism of literary theory and the representational focus of animal studies, this provocative work makes the case for a new formalism in light of our obligation to fellow creatures.
Bride of the Lamb
Author: Sergej Nikolaevič Bulgakov
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 9780567088710
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 558
Book Description
Sergius Bulgakov is thought by many to be the twentieth century's foremost Russian Orthodox theologian. The Bride of the Lamb is widely regarded as Bulgakov's magnum opus and, even more, as one of the greatest works ever produced in the modern Orthodox church. This book is now available for the first time in English, complete with an introduction to Bulgakov and his theological context.For readers new to Russian religious thought, The Bride of the Lamb presents a fresh approach to Christian doctrine. Bulgakov examines issues of ecclesiology and eschatology from a sophiological perspective. This distinctive Russian approach, based on the doctrine of Sophia, the wisdom of God, sees the Creator and creation intimately linked as Divine-humanity. The Bride of the Lamb explores the nature of created beings, the relationship between God and the world, the role of the church, and such eschatological themes as the second coming of Jesus, resurrection and judgment, and the afterlife. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 9780567088710
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 558
Book Description
Sergius Bulgakov is thought by many to be the twentieth century's foremost Russian Orthodox theologian. The Bride of the Lamb is widely regarded as Bulgakov's magnum opus and, even more, as one of the greatest works ever produced in the modern Orthodox church. This book is now available for the first time in English, complete with an introduction to Bulgakov and his theological context.For readers new to Russian religious thought, The Bride of the Lamb presents a fresh approach to Christian doctrine. Bulgakov examines issues of ecclesiology and eschatology from a sophiological perspective. This distinctive Russian approach, based on the doctrine of Sophia, the wisdom of God, sees the Creator and creation intimately linked as Divine-humanity. The Bride of the Lamb explores the nature of created beings, the relationship between God and the world, the role of the church, and such eschatological themes as the second coming of Jesus, resurrection and judgment, and the afterlife. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.
Pluriform Love
Author: Thomas Jay Oord
Publisher: SacraSage Press
ISBN: 1948609568
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 235
Book Description
"A masterpiece from the preeminent theologian of love!" A strong case can be made that love is the core of Christian faith. And yet Christians often fail to give love center stage in biblical studies and theology. And most fail to explain what they mean by love. Why is this? Thomas Jay Oord explores this question and offers ground-breaking answers. Oord addresses leading Christian thinkers today and of yesteryear. He explains biblical forms of love, such as agape, philia, hesed, and ahavah. We should understand love’s meaning as uniform, he says, but its expressions are pluriform. Widely regarded as the world's foremost theologian of love, Thomas Jay Oord tackles our biggest puzzles about the nature and meaning of love, divine and creaturely. His proposals are novel. They align with love described in scripture and expressed in everyday experience. Oord also provides radical and yet persuasive answers to questions about evil, hell, the Big Bang, divine violence, divine abandonment, and more. Pluriform Love changes the landscape of Christian love studies. ... What they're saying... “Thomas Jay Oord is the first to systematically clarify a variety of types of love and show that all are characteristic of God. This is an original contribution to theology. Though a complex task, Oord writes in an accessible and attractive way.” John B. Cobb, Jr., Cobb Institute, Author of Salvation: Jesus’s Mission and Ours “Christian theology in the years to come will need a facelift—a true restoration of the biblical witness to the centrality of God’s love. If we wish to help make the faith truly relatable to our world today, Oord’s clear, compassionate, and compelling voice is one we will be thankful for.” Peter Enns, Eastern University and Co-host of The Bible for Normal People “Thomas Jay Oord adds to his proposals on open and relational theology, developing a theology of love which is both uniform in meaning and pluriform according to situation and recipients. The volume is indispensable for those researching the nature of love.” Paul Fiddes, University of Oxford “The glowing multiform forcefield of love embraces every sentence of Pluriform Love. Free of sentimentality and pretense, refusing to pit eros and agape against each other, it unfolds a full-scale theology. This amorous vision will attract a wide readership.” Catherine Keller, Drew University, Author of Facing Apocalypse "Thomas Oord is a global leader exploring the primacy of love within Christian thought and practice. In this book, he presents a theology of love in a loving way. When he grapples with the Scriptures, he shows an attitude of fairness. His writing style combines scholarly depth with accessible simplicity. In the end, Oord makes a radical claim: much of traditional Christian theology cannot take love as seriously as it must. Love must revolutionize Christian theology, and Oord explains how.” Brian D. McLaren, Author of Do I Stay Christian? “This is a rigorous, provocative, creative, and very readable account of the meaning of love, especially divine love. It’s a very important contribution to theological thought on this central topic.” Keith Ward, University of Oxford ...
Publisher: SacraSage Press
ISBN: 1948609568
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 235
Book Description
"A masterpiece from the preeminent theologian of love!" A strong case can be made that love is the core of Christian faith. And yet Christians often fail to give love center stage in biblical studies and theology. And most fail to explain what they mean by love. Why is this? Thomas Jay Oord explores this question and offers ground-breaking answers. Oord addresses leading Christian thinkers today and of yesteryear. He explains biblical forms of love, such as agape, philia, hesed, and ahavah. We should understand love’s meaning as uniform, he says, but its expressions are pluriform. Widely regarded as the world's foremost theologian of love, Thomas Jay Oord tackles our biggest puzzles about the nature and meaning of love, divine and creaturely. His proposals are novel. They align with love described in scripture and expressed in everyday experience. Oord also provides radical and yet persuasive answers to questions about evil, hell, the Big Bang, divine violence, divine abandonment, and more. Pluriform Love changes the landscape of Christian love studies. ... What they're saying... “Thomas Jay Oord is the first to systematically clarify a variety of types of love and show that all are characteristic of God. This is an original contribution to theology. Though a complex task, Oord writes in an accessible and attractive way.” John B. Cobb, Jr., Cobb Institute, Author of Salvation: Jesus’s Mission and Ours “Christian theology in the years to come will need a facelift—a true restoration of the biblical witness to the centrality of God’s love. If we wish to help make the faith truly relatable to our world today, Oord’s clear, compassionate, and compelling voice is one we will be thankful for.” Peter Enns, Eastern University and Co-host of The Bible for Normal People “Thomas Jay Oord adds to his proposals on open and relational theology, developing a theology of love which is both uniform in meaning and pluriform according to situation and recipients. The volume is indispensable for those researching the nature of love.” Paul Fiddes, University of Oxford “The glowing multiform forcefield of love embraces every sentence of Pluriform Love. Free of sentimentality and pretense, refusing to pit eros and agape against each other, it unfolds a full-scale theology. This amorous vision will attract a wide readership.” Catherine Keller, Drew University, Author of Facing Apocalypse "Thomas Oord is a global leader exploring the primacy of love within Christian thought and practice. In this book, he presents a theology of love in a loving way. When he grapples with the Scriptures, he shows an attitude of fairness. His writing style combines scholarly depth with accessible simplicity. In the end, Oord makes a radical claim: much of traditional Christian theology cannot take love as seriously as it must. Love must revolutionize Christian theology, and Oord explains how.” Brian D. McLaren, Author of Do I Stay Christian? “This is a rigorous, provocative, creative, and very readable account of the meaning of love, especially divine love. It’s a very important contribution to theological thought on this central topic.” Keith Ward, University of Oxford ...
Questions and Answers for God Can't
Author: Thomas Jay Oord
Publisher: SacraSage Press
ISBN: 1948609266
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 200
Book Description
If God can't prevent evil, what can God do? In his best-selling book, God Can't: How to Believe in God and Love After Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils, Thomas Jay Oord solves the problem of suffering. Oord offers five aspects of a real answer to why a loving God doesn't prevent pointless pain. The most helpful: God can't stop evil singlehandedly. In this follow-up, Oord answers questions God Can't readers asked about his ground-breaking proposals. The answers are in this book, and they solve age-old conundrums. Questions and Answers for God Can't addresses questions such as... If God can't control creation, why pray? If God's love is uncontrolling, how do we explain miracles? What does an uncontrolling God actually do? What does it mean to say God loves everyone and everything? How does Jesus fit into a theology of uncontrolling love? If a loving God created the universe, why is evil even possible? What hope do we have if God's love is noncontrolling? How do you know God can't prevent evil? In a conversational style, Oord offers chapter-length answers. The result is a compelling view of God! Questions and Answers for God Can't answers questions clear-eyed thinkers ask. This book deepens our trust in a God of uncontrolling love. Thinking people need this book! Topics of interest: prayer, divine action, hope, miracles, Genesis, the meaning of love, eschatology, suffering, Jesus, the problem of evil, the virgin birth, science and religion, John Wesley, providence, biblical inspiration, the afterlife, Coronavirus, worship, creation from nothing, doubt, progress, resurrection, science
Publisher: SacraSage Press
ISBN: 1948609266
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 200
Book Description
If God can't prevent evil, what can God do? In his best-selling book, God Can't: How to Believe in God and Love After Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils, Thomas Jay Oord solves the problem of suffering. Oord offers five aspects of a real answer to why a loving God doesn't prevent pointless pain. The most helpful: God can't stop evil singlehandedly. In this follow-up, Oord answers questions God Can't readers asked about his ground-breaking proposals. The answers are in this book, and they solve age-old conundrums. Questions and Answers for God Can't addresses questions such as... If God can't control creation, why pray? If God's love is uncontrolling, how do we explain miracles? What does an uncontrolling God actually do? What does it mean to say God loves everyone and everything? How does Jesus fit into a theology of uncontrolling love? If a loving God created the universe, why is evil even possible? What hope do we have if God's love is noncontrolling? How do you know God can't prevent evil? In a conversational style, Oord offers chapter-length answers. The result is a compelling view of God! Questions and Answers for God Can't answers questions clear-eyed thinkers ask. This book deepens our trust in a God of uncontrolling love. Thinking people need this book! Topics of interest: prayer, divine action, hope, miracles, Genesis, the meaning of love, eschatology, suffering, Jesus, the problem of evil, the virgin birth, science and religion, John Wesley, providence, biblical inspiration, the afterlife, Coronavirus, worship, creation from nothing, doubt, progress, resurrection, science